Switch apparatus



March 14, 1957 J. M. LESTER 3,309,68

SWITCH APPARATUS Filed Jan. 4, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l THOUSAND'S 34 20 INVENTOR.

L/aH/v M LESTER ATTORNEY March 14, 1967 Filed Jan. 4, 1965 FlG.6. BY

J. M. LESTER SWITCH APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. J0H/v LESTER TTOR/VEY United States Patent ()filice dfihdfidd Patented Mar. 14, 1967 3,369,686 SWITCH APPARATUS John M. Lester, Garden City, N.Y., assignor to Sperry Rand Corporation, Great Neck, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 422,930 9 Claims. (Cl. 340-421) This invention relates in general to switches and in particular to switch knobs and the like which allow for interrogation as to switch settings, and provides in response thereto audible feedback, for example, to the interrogator telling him of the switch selection.

The invention is particularly useful in high speed, single seater aircraft where, for example, the pilot himself must oftentimes select one particular communication channel out of several thousand available channels. With the invention the pilot neednt ever cast his eyes away from his control instruments or windscreen, and may instead grope for his selector switches and, by actuating respective switch knob mechanisms, learn audibly where his switches are set. This feature is best demonstrated with reference to the figures, where:

FIG. 1 shows the thousands, hundreds, tens and units channel selectors for a typical communications console.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a presently preferred switch knob embodying the invention, and depicts generally the interior workings of the knob.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the exterior of the knob of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the FIG. 2 knob taken generally along a line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing, for clarity of understanding, each integral subassembly by means of one continuous outline.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a recording disc as employed with the knob of FIGS. 2-4, being a view taken generally along a line 55 of FIG. 4, and

PK}. 6 shows in perspective a cam useful with the presently preferred form of the invention.

A principal object of the invention is to provide apparatus for use with a selector switch, said apparatus providing audible indications of switch positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of selector switch apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knob for use with selector switches which may audibly indicate switch selection.

Another object of the invention is to provide selector switch apparatus which may provide both visible and audible indications of switch settings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, selector control knobs, embodying the invention and employed for example with a typical airborne communications console, are shown set to an operating channel 2090. Each knob is provided with a butterfly-type interrogator mechanism having left and right pivotable flanges, designated respectively L and R. When squeezed and released, i.e. interrogated, each butterfly-type mechanism causes, as will be described later, a statement, e.g. two thousand, or Zero hundred, or ninety etc., to be heard by the interrogator depending on where the particular interrogated selector switch is set. Assuming now that the pilot of a fast flying, single-seater aircraft has his communications console channel selector switches set as shown by FIG. 1, but wishes to change to a new channel 3672, and for the moment does not remember where any of his selector switches are set. With his hand (and without ever looking at the console knobs) he feels for the thousands knob; he can tell the approximate setting of this knob be feel. If it feels as though it might be at the 3 position already, he interrogates the knob by squeezing its butterfly-mechanism flanges and on letting go hears for example over his earphones two thousand. Then to get the desired 3 setting, he turns the thousands? knob one detent clockwise (while again squeezing the butterfly-mechanism flanges); on release he hears the desired three thousand. Next the pilot sets the hundreds knob, but here by feel all he can tell is that the switch is set nowhere near 6. Therefore, he turns the hundreds knob (while squeezing the butterflymechanism flanges) until it feels as though it is set at 6, and on letting go of the flanges for example hears over his earphones six hundred. If he hears instead seven hundred, he merely rotates the hundreds" switch counterclockwise one detent. He then repeats this same procedure for the tens and units knobs.

Turning now to FIGS. 26, a switch knob embodying the invention and adapted to be employed with a tenposition switch has its left butterfly-mechanism flange L pivotally supported at a point P1 and movable about an axis coincident with a flange-supporting shaft 12. The flange L is partially housed in a pointer section 14 and may be pushed to lie substantially wholly in the pointer section. The flange R, like the flange L, is pivotally supported at a point (P2) and movable about an axis coincident with a flange supporting shaft 16, and may also be pushed to lie substantially wholly within the pointer section 14. A compression spring 18 keeps both the flanges L and R spread apart and bearing against the pointer section edges 20 and 22 respectively. 7

The pointer section .14 is supported on a round knob section 24 adapted to house the workings of the knob. A hollow shaft 26, supported in bearings 28, secures to the knob section 24 and supports the knob for rotation. The races of the bearings 28 are both frictionally held on the shaft 26 and within a collar 36 having an extending threaded section 32.

A recording disc 34 is fixedly supported on the collar 39 and adapted to be held abutted against a control panel 36 by means of a nut 38 threaded onto the collar section 32, which collar section locates in a hole 33 in the panel. The shaft 26 in this form of the invention is adapted to position a ten-position switch mechanism (not shown), and may be adapted by means of appropriate sleeves to operate with any rotary type switch. The recording disc 34 may take any of a variety of wellknown forms, but as presently preferred takes the form of a prerecorded iron oxide coated disc.

The shaft 12 supports a relatively large gear 40 which is adapted to move through a few degrees of clockwise rotation (looking at the face of the knob) when the flange L is depressed. The gear 45 meshes with a relatively small gear 42 supported on a shaft 44, which shaft also supports, for example, a recording and pickup head 46 at the end of an arm 43 that may take the form of a leaf spring bent slightly to keep the head 46 bearing against the recording disc 34. The gear 42 and shaft 44 rotate clockwise when the gear 48 and the shaft 12 rotate counterclockwise (and vice versa), and because of the relative sizes of the gears 40 and 42 the shaft 44 rotates through many more degrees than the shaft 12 when the butterfly-mechanism flange L is actuated. A coil spring 47 is supported on the shaft t i and by the knob section 24, winding up each time the flange L is actuated to drive the recording and pickup head 46 by rotating the shaft 44. On release of the flange L, the spring 47 unwinds and drives the head 46 to a neutral location with respect to the disc. FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the recording disc 34 and its cooperating flange-and-spring driven supporting arm 48 for the recording and pickup head 46. As shown, the disc 34 has ten recording tracks, each about 1.5 inches long and numbered l-lO (corresponding respectively to the ten switch positions), and a neutral circular track 59 along which the recording head rides whenever the knob is rotated without actuating the butterfly-rnechanism flange L. The dashed line 51 indicates the circular path along which the shaft 44- moves when the knob is rotated through 360". When the butterfly-mechanism flange L is actuated, the arm 48 sweeps the record,

ing head outward away from the neutral track 50 and along a particular one of the recording tracks 110. On release of the flange L the head (under action of the coil spring 47) moves back along the recording track and provides electrical signals which pass along a flexible lead wire (pair) 52, which signals upon being detected indicate audibly to the pilot his switch setting. To prevent too rapid return of the pickup head along its tracks, a paddle 54 encased within a damping fluid container 56 and supported by the shaft 44 is provided.

The knob of the present invention is arranged to provide audible sounds to the pilot only when the recording and pickup head 46 moves along one of its recording tracks from the outer extreme of the disc 34 to the neutral track 50, i.e. when the flange L is released after being actuated. This arrangement is provided to prevent unintelligible noises (inverted word signals) from being relayed to the pilot as he depresses the knob butterflymechanism flanges. To provide this feature, the lead wire 52 is connected to one side of a switching mechanism 69, the other side of the switch mechanism 60 being connected to a flexile lead wire 62 which in turn connects to a spring loaded brush contact bearing against an electrically conductive ring 67 on and insulated from the hollow shaft 26. The ring is electrically connected at its interior to an output lead 65 within the hollow of the shaft 26, and thence to amplifier apparatus (not shown) for generation of audible signals to the pilot. The switch mechanism 60 is actuated, i.e. set to close an ordinarily open circuit only when the head 46 moves toward its neutral track, by means of the butterfly-mechanism flange R.

The switch mechanism 60 comprises a spring loaded contact 70 supported and positioned by the shaft 16 which gets rotated by the flange R, the contact 70 hearing against a point a on a cam 72 (see FIG. 6). In rotating the shaft 16, i.e. in actuating the flange R, the contact 73 is made to ride along the (electrically nonconductive) cam surface to a point b (see dashed line on FIG. 6) during which time the recording and pickup head 46 is held electrically disconnected from the output lead 65. On reaching the point b, the contact 70 snaps (to a point against an electrically conductive contact face 74 to which the lead 52 is connected, thereby electrically closing the circuit between the pickup head 46 and the output lead 65. Release of the flange R then causes the contact 70 (under action of the spring IS-driven shaft 16) to move along the contact face 74 to a point 11, whereupon it snaps back to the cam point a. In moving between the points 0 and d the contact 70 keeps the electrical circuit between the pickup head 46 and the lead 65 closed whereupon the voice recordings on the disc tracks 1-10 may be heard as the head 46 is spring 47-driven to its neutral position along the track 50; in moving from cam point d on the electrical contact face 74 to point a, the aforementioned electrical circuit is broken.

While the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for use with a switch comprising recording playback means having respective tracks with words for and indicative of each of the quiescent positions of said switch, pickup means relatively positionable simultaneously with said switch to the track associated with the setting of said switch for cooperating with said tracks to produce audible indications of the settings of said switch, means for relatively positioning the pickup means in a particular direction along the track to which it is relatively positioned, and means for relatively moving said pickup means at a predetermined speed along that track, whereby an audible indication of the setting of the switch may be provided.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for relatively positioning said pickup means in a particular direction is a manually operated means and said means for relatively moving said pickup means at a predetermined speed is a spring cooperating with said pickup means and placed under tension when said manually operated means is actuated.

3. A knob for use with a switch comprising recording playback means having respective tracks with words for and indicative of each of the quiescent positions of said switch, pickup means relatively positionable by said knob to the track associated with the setting of said switch for cooperating with said tracks to produce audible indications of the settings of said switch, means on said knob for relatively positioning the pickup means in a first direction along the track to which it is relatively positioned, and means for relatively moving said pickup means at a predetermined speed and in a direction opposite to said first direction along the track to which it is relatively positioned, whereby an audible indication of the setting of the switch may be provided.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means for relatively positioning said pickup means in a first direction is a manually operated means and said means for relatively moving said pickup means at a predetermined speed is a spring cooperating with said pickup means and placed under tension when said manually operated means is actuated.

5. For use with a plural position selector switch apparatus comprising recording playback means having respective tracks with words for and indicative of each of the quiescent positions of said switch, pickup means relatively positionable with said switch to the track associated with the setting of said switch for cooperating with said tracks to produce audible indications of the settings of said switch, means for relatively positioning the pickup means in a first direction along the track. to which it is relatively positioned, means for relatively moving said pickup means at a predetermined speed and in a direction opposite to said first direction along the track to which it is relatively position, whereby an audible indication of the setting of the switch may be provided, and means for permitting the word recordings of said tracks to be heard only when said pickup means relatively moves at said predetermined speed.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for relatively positioning said pickup means in a first direction is a manually operated means and said means for relatively moving said pickup means at a predetermined speed is a spring cooperating with said pickup means and placed under tension when said manually operated means is actuated.

7. A mechanism for use with a switch comprising a recording disc having as many tracks as there are settings for said switch, said tracks having recorded thereon words indicative of the respective settings of said switch, pickup means cooperating with said recording disc, means for simultaneously setting the switch to one of its positions and the pickup means to the track associated with that switch position, means for relatively moving the pickup means one way along the track to which it is positioned, and means for driving in a predetermined manner said pickup means the opposite way along that track, whereby signals may be provided audibly to tell the operator of said mechanism the setting of said switch.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for relatively positioning said pickup means one way is a manually operated means and said means for driving said pickup means in a predetermined manner is a spring cooperating With said pickup means and placed under tension When said manually operated means is actuated.

9. For use for a plural position selector switch apparatus comprising a recording disc having as many tracks as there are settings for said switch, said tracks having recorded thereon words indicative of the respective headings of said switch, pickup means cooperating with said recording disc, means for simultaneously setting the switch to one of its positions and the pickup means to the track associated with that switch position, means for relatively moving the pickup means one Way along the track to which it is positioned, means for driving in a predetermined manner said pickup means the opposite way along that track, whereby signals may be provided audibly to tell the operator of said mechanism the setting of said switch, and means for permitting the word recordings of said tracks to be heard only when said pickup means moves in said predetermined manner.

No references cited.

D. L. TRAFTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A SWITCH COMPRISING RECORDING PLAYBACK MEANS HAVING RESPECTIVE TRACKS WITH WORDS FOR AND INDICATIVE OF EACH OF THE QUIESCENT POSITIONS OF SAID SWITCH, PICKUP MEANS RELATIVELY POSITIONABLE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID SWITCH TO THE TRACK ASSOCIATED WITH THE SETTING OF SAID SWITCH FOR COOPERATING WITH SAID TRACKS TO PRODUCE AUDIBLE INDICATIONS OF THE SETTINGS OF SAID SWITCH, MEANS FOR RELATIVELY POSITIONING THE PICKUP MEANS IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION ALONG THE TRACK TO WHICH IT IS RELATIVELY POSITIONED, AND MEANS FOR RELATIVELY MOVING SAID PICKUP MEANS AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED ALONG THAT TRACK, WHEREBY AN AUDIBLE INDICATION OF THE SETTING OF THE SWITCH MAY BE PROVIDED. 